


Hoyotoho!

by Pale (orphan_account)



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: F/F, Female Characters, Female Friendship, Female Protagonist, Gen, POV Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-14
Updated: 2010-08-14
Packaged: 2017-10-11 02:18:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/107275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Pale
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amelia and Minerva visit the Bayreuth wizarding festival theatre to see a production of Wagner's <i>Die Walküre</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hoyotoho!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tetley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tetley/gifts).



"I'm not sure I appreciate Hunding and his men wearing uniforms with Grindelwald's sign upon their chest." Minerva spread out a tartan blanket and settled gracefully down on it.

Amelia sighed as she joined her best friend on the blanket, crossing her legs and lighting a cigar. "Would you prefer them wearing bearskins and helmets with horns?"

Before Minerva could answer, a house-elf popped up on the lawn in front of them, wearing the colours of the Magisches Festspielhaus Bayreuth. Amelia ordered bratwurst and beer for two, then returned to the topic at hand.

"Dressing the bad guys to look like soldiers of Grindelwald's Army is the director's answer to the history of this place." She made a gesture in direction of the festival theatre that sat inconspicuously on top of the Green Hill. Only a silvery shimmer surrounding it indicated that there was more to the Muggle structure than met the eye.

The house-elf cracked into existence again, carrying a tray. "Bitte sehr, meine Damen. Zum Wohl."

"Dankeschön," Minerva said, and Amelia was surprised at how well she managed the umlaut.

For a while, they were busy with their bratwursts, discussing the best way to eat them. Amelia sipped her beer and enjoyed the warm September evening. Still under the spell of Wagner's powerful music, she started to hum the leitmotif of Nothung, the magic sword, reliving the moment when hero Siegmund pulled it from the tree to embrace his destiny (and his buxom twin sister, beautiful Sieglinde).

"It's true of course, history must be addressed."

Minerva's voice startled Amelia out of her reverie. She must have looked like an idiot, as evidenced by the fact that Minerva continued with the tone reserved for particularly dull-witted Hogwarts governors.

"We mustn't forget that Grindelwald founded the Bayreuth wizarding festival theatre to worship his idol, a Muggle composer whom he, against all evidence, declared to have been a wizard. Of course it should be remembered that Grindelwald misused Wagner's work to celebrate his own bloody regime."

Amelia nodded emphatically, tapping the rhythm of the Hunding motif on her beer mug.

"I just don't think that having the villains wear Grindelwald's uniform has much of an impact any more," Minerva said in a thoughtful tone. "It has become a cliché over the years."

"What do you suggest?" Amelia upended her beer mug and drained it.

"Death Eaters," Minerva said briskly.

"What?" Amelia sputtered, imagining the scandal. "You must be joking."

Minerva gave her a sly smile. "Maybe. But it makes a lot of sense, if you think about it."

The ticket stub in her pocket started to vibrate before Amelia could think of an answer. There was barely enough time to Banish the remains of their picnic and Transfigure the blanket back into a handkerchief. Minerva had just tucked it into her purse when she got whisked away. Holding on to the ticket stub that acted as a Portkey to her loge seat, Amelia followed Minerva on the wild ride through the air. Only seconds later, she landed on the red velvet chair next to her.

For several minutes, the plop-plop-plop of the returning audience drowned out the sounds of the orchestra warming up. Amelia took in a deep breath, savouring the atmosphere of the theatre. She loved the smell of perfume and dust. To listen to the cacophony of the instruments filled her with eager anticipation, and she enjoyed the chorus of whispers from hundreds of witches and wizards in elegant evening robes.

The lights went out and the orchestra fell silent. Amelia was just as excited as she'd been all those years ago, when her parents took her to Covent Garden for the very first time. She couldn't wait to meet her favourite heroine again -- Brünnhilde, the brave woman who had stood up to her all-powerful father to do what she knew was the right thing, and who was to face bitter consequences now. But before Amelia could immerse herself in Brünnhilde's world, she had a mission to fulfil. There was a reason she'd invited her best friend to see _Die Walküre_ tonight.

She turned to Minerva, who sat in motionless expectation, her back slightly bent forward and her hands folded in her lap.

"Have a close look at the first Valkyrie," Amelia whispered, slipping a pair of opera glasses into Minerva's hands. "I'm sure you'll like what you see."

She chuckled. This should serve as an eye-opener to Minerva, who was so clever, and could still be infuriatingly naive when it came to matters of her heart.

Mission accomplished, Amelia adjusted her monocle and turned to the stage, forgetting everything else around her.

Starting in B minor and slowly gathering power, the music of _The Ride of the Valkyries_ rose from the orchestra pit. The curtain opened to reveal a Quidditch pitch.

Wearing the black and white gear of the German national Quidditch team, the Valkyries swooped up and down the pitch on their broomsticks. While they dodged Bludgers and passed the Quaffle among themselves, the stands slowly filled with the ghosts of fallen warriors.

_Hoyotoho! Hoyotoho!_

The Valkyrie closest to the goal posts circled the hoops impatiently, waving to her sisters to pass her the Quaffle already. She had yellow eyes like a hawk, and her short silver hair stood in spikes.

-

"Oi, Potter, look out!"

Flying in circles high above the Quidditch pitch, Rolanda Hooch was supervising Gryffindor team practice. With her spiky hair and those fascinating hawk eyes, she looked exactly like last night's Valkyrie. The resemblance was striking. And Amelia had been right, Minerva did indeed like what she saw.

Minerva lowered Amelia's opera glasses. She'd forgotten to return them, but that wasn't what bothered her. What was she doing in the Quidditch stands at this ungodly hour of the morning, ogling Rolanda as if she'd never seen a woman on a broomstick before? And it wasn't the first time, either. In the three weeks since the start of the school year, Minerva had watched every single Gryffindor practice session, and occasionally, those of the other Houses, too.

It dawned on her that Amelia had noticed something that Minerva herself realised only now. It was a disconcerting thought. In the past weeks, Amelia had visited no more than twice. If _she_ had figured it out, Minerva could imagine the staffroom gossip. Hadn't Poppy winked at her over breakfast? And Pomona had patted her back encouragingly after the staff meeting on Monday. Minerva sighed. There was no way to deny it any longer, her interest in Rolanda was much more than that of a colleague.

Practice was over, and Rolanda swooped down, stuttering to a halt in front of Minerva's box. "That Potter boy's not bad. Improves Gryffindor's chances quite a bit," she said with a broad grin.

Minerva nodded absent-mindedly. Her fingers closed around the opera glasses, willing them to work like a good-luck charm. It was ridiculous, she didn't even believe in nonsense like that. She thrust them into her pocket and stiffened her spine. Then she plucked up all her Gryffindor courage and started the courtship dance.

"Do you like opera?"

-


End file.
